OBAMA IN INDIA

On Current Visit of OBAMA to India !!



U.S. President Barack Obama seems to have achieved something of a diplomatic coup during his India visit: He avoided any slip-ups that diverted attention from his chief mission – jobs for Americans and charming India.
But two big issues went unaddressed that show there remains much work to be done, despite the warmth of the visit, for this bilateral relationship to scale the new heights both sides say they want.
First, kudos to the President. In hindsight, his refusal to mention Pakistan on Saturday was smart from his vantage point; it meant that the issue didn’t dominate all three days of his visit and overshadow all others, as happened when British Prime Minister David Cameron visited India earlier this year. The trumpeting of commerce and jobs played well to both audiences and sucked up all the newsprint available for the weekend, along with some warm and fuzzy moments with Indian youth.
And Monday, he could say what India wanted to hear on Pakistan (no safe havens, prosecutions for the Mumbai terrorists) and on Afghanistan (we will not abandon you) while chastising the Indians on Burma in a way that the U.S. can now say to Pakistan that it wasn’t as if the President let India off the hook, either. Then there was the largely meaningless but rhetorically significant India-in-the-United-Nations-Security-Council line, which delighted Delhi.
The White House will be feeling very good about all this, especially as the visit took center stage in our newspaper and others in the U.S. over the past few days, with the Democrats’ midterm catastrophe receding into the distance.
There are, however, two caveats to this rosy scenario.
The first is what was established five years ago as the cornerstone of this new relationship: The civil nuclear pact between the two nations. This was something the Obama administration actually thought was done and dusted when it came into office two years ago, according to a senior U.S. official. But they found that several hurdles remained to make the pact operational in a way that would benefit U.S. nuclear power suppliers.
The Indian Parliament’s recent liability bill threw up another hurdle and furious negotiations have been underway for the past several weeks to get Indian regulators to find a solution that would allow U.S. companies to supply equipment here without fear of crippling liability should something go wrong. Mr. Obama said in his Parliament speech that “we are now ready to begin implementing our civil nuclear agreement.”
But there was no sign that the issues separating the two sides had been resolved, despite how hard the U.S. had tried to secure agreement before the President’s visit. A spokesman at the U.S. embassy couldn’t be reached for comment.
The other major issue that the U.S. had signaled it would like to see is greater access to India’s retail market, which is now very restrictive toward foreigners, especially multi-brand retailers such as Wal-Mart. Mike Duke, CEO of Wal-Mart had pressed the issue on a visit here before Mr. Obama arrived, arguing that permitting foreign ownership of retail stores like Wal-Mart in India would reduce prices, create jobs and modernize the country’s agricultural market and supply chain.
If foreign direct investment “in retail is opened up, we can contribute more,” Mr. Duke told a group of Indian executives and bureaucrats. “That’s why we support opening up the retail sector 100% to foreign investment.”
Montek Singh Ahluwalia, deputy chairman of the Planning Commission, at the time said the government was in favor of opening retail but didn’t say when or how. It appears that the when certainly wasn’t during Mr. Obama’s visit because retail, as far as we can tell, didn’t warrant a mention in any of the many communiqués distributed by both sides yesterday.
Pakistan got mentioned more often than retail and we know how sensitive that is. The new parameters for the relationship laid out by the White House didn’t even mention U.S. foreign direct investment in India but did mention Indian foreign direct investment in the U.S. A spokesman for Prime Minister Singh couldn’t be reached for comment.
As we said, overall Mr. Obama navigated the tricky shoals of his India visit carefully and effectively. But these are two high priorities for U.S. business that appear to have been shunted to one side in the interests of smooth bilateral relations. A test of the strength of the new partnership will be to see if these are revived and solutions are found or whether they are allowed to languish in the interests of maintaining the appearance of harmony in the new, indispensable relationship of the 21st century.
If you see other issues between the two countries that you think should have been addressed but weren’t, please leave them in the Comments.


US and the developed countries need to take up the issue of corruption more seriously. Obama could have included ‘ reducing corruption’ as a necessary requirements among responsibilities for countries eying a UNSC seat. His conditions like Iran and Burma does not carry any relevance when US itself work closely with China - the worst human rights violator on the planet and the driving force behind Burmese and Iranian dictators.


1. humans are an economic resource. So why not discuss free flow of monetary investment and free flow of workforce investment together? If an Indian techie is accused of taking away an american job, then similarly Wal Mart will do to an Indian job of worker, artisan, enterpreneur..
2. US corporates are far too protected by their government. If french, Russian etc are fine doing nuclear business with India under existing Indian regulation, what concern should US companies have?

I would say opening to foreign investment in general, not just retail, as the conditions around foreign investment are still quite difficult — from approval processes, to visas, to land acquisition.
Another issue, more difficult to address, but related to the investment issue, is addressing corruption.
Why is the media not reporting on obligations enforced on nuiclear equipment suppliers in countries like US/UK/France? If nuclear equipment suppliers wish to equate india with a banana republic and get away with immunity, that can not happen. After Bhopal tragedy, people are wiser and so are our politicians. Let us not accept terms that we do not consider equitable

SILENT SUFI

Cricket Crises.....

Pakistan Cricket is reflecting what this nation is standing for now, country has gone to wolves and morality stands where one young cricketer leaves team with out telling any one before last and most crucial match of one day series between Pakistan V/S South Africa in Dubai .Pakistab won Last match in a nail biting finish due to last wicket stands between Whab Riaz and Zulqarnain haider (WIcket Keeper) both were heroes of the match & Sries leveller but two days after that whole nation was shocked to hear that zulqarnain was missing from his room, suspence and speculation continued till evening when news brocke out that he was reached London, more shocking was his statement that he was given serious threat to life and his family by some un known persons for not loosing the match !!!

Zulqarnain is young but seems to be in intense pressuer or in some unknown fear in past two days lot of conspiracy theories are rolling , PCB has banned him for life, ICC wants to extract mileage by taking him in his cover and use his inside stories for maligning Pkistan Cricket..Toothless PCB and its croock cheif is busy putting last nails in the coffin of international cricket of Pakistan, his foolish antics and mishandling the issues has already put Pakistan ob the verge of BAN from international cricket...!

Pakistan as a nation is already on the brinks of being bankrupt morally and economically and our ambassadors of peace , our players were the only thing which use to make our nation proud and use to give a moment of joy here and there but since last one or two years they are being proved to be the main factor of embaressment for whole Nation , when they are found cheating on the ground or off the ground..!

few months back four players were found to be guility of spot fixing including Captain of the Team and three main players, including notorious Asif ,Aamir and .....list is end less....

Nation is dejected at the state of affairs way PCB is handling them. Mohammed Asif in his short career was found repeatedly guility of many ethical and criminal offences...if PCB has taken stern action against any of the players in the past the things shouldnot have gone or decayed up to that state.

PCB is being ruled by same old farted lot of beaurocrates and expiry date cricketers ,PCB cheif is cousin or close relative of a ruling party Minister and he has fixed his close cronies as Managers of every team which goes out side Pakistan. Pakistan lost his face when SriLankan team was attacked in broad day light in Lahore and international Cricket was shunned for this cricket loving nation, all scheduled tournaments were taken from the hands of Pakistan to Dubai and India ....!!!

Today Pakistan is most condemned team in international arena....Government lost its faith and face long time ago, common men in Pakistan is only thinking for next time meal for his family and children in this state no body is reacting on the plight of cricket in Pakistan..what Zulqarnain did perhaps every Pakistani would do if given a chance ....leave the country and seek asylum any where else even the Bangladesh will do.......!!!!!!